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LittleBlueBudgie t1_ixvk715 wrote

False equivalency. Queens needs a lot of new train lines, but not this one at what will inevitably be a much higher price tag than estimated. $8 billion? Cute, try tripling it. Every bridge needs to be rebuilt because they’ve been abandoned for decades and aren’t structurally sound. And there are a LOT of bridges along this line. They’d have to eminent-domain the Home Depot at Metropolitan and Woodhaven, and probably a lot of private homes as well. These neighborhoods aren’t even transit deserts, but eastern Queens certainly is.

This ain’t it.

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vanshnookenraggen t1_ixvm7tr wrote

All of this is factually incorrect. The $8 bil cost was pre-inflated. The MTA's own costs estimate that the hard costs will be around $1.5b, and double for soft costs which cover cost over-run contingency.

There does not need to be ANY eminent domain, especially at Metropolitan Ave.

These neighborhoods, at least south of Queens Blvd, are absolutely transit deserts. While there are some areas with literally no rail transit and only a couple of buses, the areas south of Forest Park seem like they have good transit if you are only looking at a subway map. But the limited capacity on the J/Z and A/C means that they are de facto deserts. Deserts aren't devoid of water, they just don't have enough to sustain a lot of life.

This is not to say that there aren't more areas that need transit, just that this is one of the last places where we have existing infrastructure that can be reused at significant cost savings. It's ludicrous to think we should turn it into a park that would block any future use of transit.

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